Chapter 4 - The Emerald DressTen minutes later, the private lounge door unlocked.
Evelyn stepped out. She had washed the tear tracks from her cheeks, fixed her lipstick, and wrapped her injured hand neatly in the linen handkerchief Adrian had given her. She expected the club to be chaotic, or perhaps empty.
Instead, the entire VIP section was staring at her as she walked down the private stairs.
The whispering was immediate, but it wasn't mocking anymore. It was cautious, curious, and dripping with awe.
Standing at the bottom of the staircase, waiting by the edge of the polished marble floor, was Adrian.
He held out a fresh, unopened bottle of chilled sparkling water and a pristine black velvet jacket, which he draped gently over her shoulders to cover the red stain on her emerald-green dress.
Evelyn stopped on the bottom step, looking up at him with a mixture of shock and profound bewilderment.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she whispered, pulling the warm velvet jacket tighter around herself.
“Yes, I did,” Adrian replied softly, his hard expression melting into something remarkably gentle as he looked down at her. “Men like Derek thrive because people stay quiet. It’s time someone changed the odds.”
Evelyn swallowed hard, her heart pounding for an entirely different reason than it had an hour ago. She looked at the man the entire city feared, realizing that beneath the ruthless rumors was a protector who operated on a code entirely his own.
“What happens now?” she asked quietly.
Adrian offered her his arm, his dark eyes sparkling with an intensity that promised a completely new chapter.
“Now,” Adrian said, offering a faint, rare smile, “we go get you a new dress. And then, Miss Hart, you’re going to tell me all about how you balance international logistics while underpaid.”
Evelyn looked down at the velvet jacket, then up at the mafia boss who had just upended her entire universe with a single check. For the first time all night, she didn’t feel ordinary.
May you like
She took his arm.
“Lead the way, Mr. Vale.”
